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Thread: Homemade wedding bands
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01-12-2012, 05:11 PM #1
Homemade wedding bands
First of all: I proposed to my girlfriend december 23 and she said YES!!
But I am posting this just to brag about the fact that I made the rings myself
Since she is a very special girl, I figured she deserved something truly unique. Also I thought of it as a way to show that I was really committed to her.
I am not a goldsmith and my experience when it comes to working with precious metals was non at all when I started.
For starters (after countless hours of internet research) I asked one of the guys at the machineshop (I am working as a mechanic in the Norwegian Air Force maintenance facility) to make me a coned steel rod as a tool for making the rings (saved me about $70).
I bought a butane torch and a small hammer at my hardwarestore.
I polished the hammer myself instead of buying a polished goldsmith hammer (saved me about $50) and modified a pair of cheap pliers into a polished bending tool.
Then I enough silver for six rings, silver solder, cleaning acid for getting the discolorisation off after soldering, flux and a fine brass brush from a goldsmith supply store.
I started practicing making silver rings and tried to figure out a design we would like! It was quite a learning curve.
A lot about sizing, soldering, finishing and such.
Finally I decided to buy gold and actually do it. I brought 6,5mm wide and 1,7 thick hers was 1,5x5,5
After a good bit of work I had made two really nice rings out of gold.
Here is a picture of mine and one of the silver ones I made for practice, hers is at her hand and she is on vacation in Brazil at the moment.
I have some pictures of the process, but they are in Brazil too, so I just had to take a couple of quick shots with my phone
Notice the burn-marks on my livingroom-table after the soldering
Lets hope the people that owns the place does not me over it:PLast edited by flyboy; 01-12-2012 at 10:26 PM.
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01-12-2012, 05:16 PM #2
Great job! Nothing says commitment quite like making your own wedding rings. Congratulations.
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The Following User Says Thank You to Theseus For This Useful Post:
flyboy (01-12-2012)
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01-12-2012, 05:21 PM #3
Those rings are beautiful! And I would bet dollars to donuts that because they were made by you they will mean more to her than any store bought ring ever could and you forever touched her heart! Good job!
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The Following User Says Thank You to Tsunami For This Useful Post:
flyboy (01-12-2012)
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01-12-2012, 05:35 PM #4
Well done, and what a lovely gift - she must be a great girl.
Great story as well, thanks for sharing.
Let us know when you are ready to hold a gold smiting demonstration in Oslo
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The Following User Says Thank You to str8fencer For This Useful Post:
flyboy (01-12-2012)
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01-12-2012, 06:12 PM #5
brownie points for you buddy
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The Following User Says Thank You to Deerhunter1995 For This Useful Post:
flyboy (01-12-2012)
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01-12-2012, 07:01 PM #6
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Thanked: 198very nice +1 on tsunamis post
always be yourself...unless you suck. Joss Whedon
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The Following User Says Thank You to wvloony For This Useful Post:
flyboy (01-12-2012)
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01-12-2012, 07:15 PM #7
Great job on the rings. They will most certainly become more and more special
for you two. I wish you guys blue skies and following winds.Bob
"God is a Havana smoker. I have seen his gray clouds" Gainsburg
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The Following User Says Thank You to lz6 For This Useful Post:
flyboy (01-12-2012)
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01-12-2012, 10:35 PM #8
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01-13-2012, 12:36 AM #9
Great job there.
It's one of those things that seems straight forward and easy but if not done correctly, at first all is well and a few years later the rings crack in the back.No matter how many men you kill you can't kill your successor-Emperor Nero
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01-13-2012, 12:42 AM #10
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Thanked: 1Awesome!! Nice work and congrats